Kendrick Lamar is having a great year. With his chart topping single “Humble” and the equally exquisite “Loyalty” record with Rhianna, he’s most recently made the cover of the latest issue of RollingStone magazine as “The Greatest Rapper Alive”. In his interview he discusses a variety of topics ranging from developing his own sense of style as a lyricist, what he learned from working with Beyonce, entertaining the idea of acting, his inspirational trip to Africa, and overall being in a better place mentally.

One of the most notable moments in the conversation, was his answer to why he considered himself the greatest rapper. Its obvious that Kendrick has a lyrically insane repertoire, but throughout the interview, he justifies his proclamation better than most. Kendrick credits his emotionally-charged recording sessions as his way of truly connecting with his audience comparing the emotional appeal to the likes of Jay-Z’s “Song Cry” and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”.

“If I can make one person – or 10 million people – feel a certain type of euphoria in my music, that’s the whole point.” -Kendrick Lamar (RollingStone)

Kendrick is also very particular about what he put on the album, describing how he has purposely left songs on the cutting room floor if they weren’t cohesive to the vibe of the project. He’s nothing short of aware of his abilities as a lyricist and displays those strengths without experimenting too far from them. He stays in his arena and dominates it in every way possible. And the main reason why Kung Fu Kenny proclaims himself as the greatest? He doesn’t ghost write. He’s quoted saying, “I cannot call myself the best rapper if I have a ghostwriter. If you’re saying you’re a different type of artist and you don’t really care about the art form of being the best rapper, then so be it. Make great music. But the title, it won’t be there.”

Humbly speaking, he knows why he wears the crown, and to an extent, I agree.